Category Archives: Weekly Theater Updates

Opening March 11, 2021: Roohi

With the Bollywood theatrical release calendar filling up, the Janhvi Kapoor-Rajkummar Rao horror comedy Roohi is first out of the gate, opening in Chicago area theaters on March 11, 2021.

Roohi opens on Thursday at the AMC River East 21 in Chicago, AMC South Barrington 24 in South Barrington, and AMC Naperville 16 in Naperville. (Streaming partner: Netflix) It has a listed runtime of 2 hrs. 15 min. All three theaters offer Roohi as a Private Rental option, priced at $249 at the River East 21 and South Barrington 24 and $199 at the Naperville 16.

I am avoiding movie theaters until I get the COVID-19 vaccine, which likely won’t be until this summer. I look forward to reviewing Roohi and other upcoming Hindi theatrical releases when they become available for streaming in the US.

Other Indian movies showing in the Chicago area this weekend:

In Theaters: January 29, 2021

Movie theaters across the Chicago area are once again allowed to reopen with restricted capacity. Some theaters have chosen to remain closed for the time being, but plenty are back in business. That said, opportunities to watch Indian movies in Chicago area theaters are few and far between the weekend beginning January 29, 2021.

The Tamil film Master — which became available for streaming on Amazon Prime today — opens Friday at the ShowPlace ICON at Roosevelt Collection in Chicago, AMC South Barrington 24 in South Barrington, and Cinemark at Seven Bridges in Woodridge. The ShowPlace ICON offers Master as one of the options in its “Private Showing” theater rental program for a price of $166.88. The cost of private rental — which accommodates a group of up to 20 people — is less than the cost of 12 regular priced adult tickets ($14.50).

Also starting Friday, the Seven Bridges theater carries the Telugu movie 30 Rojullo Preminchadam Ela, which is available in the theater’s “Private Watch Party” program for $149. Cinemark’s private rental program has the same 20-person limit and costs about the same as 17 regular priced tickets ($8.75) or 26 matinee tickets ($5.75).

Theater Update: October 6, 2020

With Khaali Peeli presently showing at the AMC South Barrington 24 in South Barrington, I checked to see which of the Chicago area theaters that regularly carry Bollywood films are currently operating, and under what terms. If the government ruling allowing cinemas in India to reopen later this month prompts new Bollywood films to release theatrically, will there be a home for them here?

In the Chicago area, the answer is a definitive: probably? AMC theaters are obviously open, though hours and days of operation vary by location. The region’s only all-Indian theater — MovieMax Cinemas in Niles — is closed indefinitely because of the pandemic. Regal Entertainment is closing all 536 of its US theaters on Thursday, October 8, which takes out the Cantera (which carries almost every Hindi release) as well as the Regal Round Lake Beach.

Marcus Theaters in Addison and Elgin are open Friday-Sunday and Tuesday. You can order concessions online and pick them up in cinema for your own movie night or game night at home, which is pretty tempting (especially since I’m writing this right before lunch).

Theaters in the Cinemark family like Seven Bridges, Stratford Square, and Deer Park are open Friday-Sunday. Those theaters are traditionally more dependent upon new releases out of South India than Bollywood, but that may change since cinemas are desperate for new content.

Cinemark has a really cool (but pricey) program right now called the Private Watch Party. You can rent an entire screen for you and a group of up to 20 people to watch a new release or classic film all by yourselves. Locally, new releases are priced at $149, and older films at $99. My husband and I are planning to do this for just the two of us when Dune releases on December 18. [Scratch that: Dune just got pushed to October 21, 2021.] I’m not sure if this deal will apply to any Bollywood or South Indian films that may open in Cinemark theaters, but it could be a good option if you’re concerned about safety and/or if you have a large family.

It’s still unclear what the next Indian movie to open in Chicago theaters after Khaali Peeli would be. All of this could be moot if A) a spike in infections triggers theater closures in all or part of the region, or B) theater chains decide it’s not financially viable to operate under current conditions without blockbuster Hollywood content. For now, the take away is: if you feel it’s safe to return to cinemas and are desperate to watch an Indian movie on the big screen, head to South Barrington for Khaali Peeli while you can. Or you can just stay home, like me.

Update: In response to Regal’s planned closure later this week, AMC and Cinemark have vowed to continue operating during the pandemic, according to CNBC. Just to add some further perspective, when Baaghi 3 released on March 6, it did so in thirteen local theaters: 7 AMC theaters, 1 Cinemark, 2 Marcus, 2 Regal, and 1 independent (MovieMax). As of now, only three of those theaters will be closed if/when a new Bollywood title releases locally.

Opening March 6: Baaghi 3

Tiger Shroff’s Baaghi 3 — the not-a-true-sequel next entry in the Baaghi action film series — gets a wide release in the Chicago area on March 6, 2020.

Baaghi 3 opens Friday at the AMC River East 21 in Chicago, AMC Village Crossing 18 in Skokie, MovieMax Cinemas in Niles, AMC Niles 12 in Niles, Regal Round Lake Beach in Round Lake Beach, Century 16 Deer Park in Deer Park, AMC South Barrington 24 in South Barrington, Marcus Elgin Cinema in Elgin, AMC Dine-In Rosemont 12 in Rosemont, Marcus Addison Cinema in Addison, Regal Cantera in Warrenville, AMC Naperville 16 in Naperville, and AMC Woodridge 18 in Woodridge. (Streaming partner: Hotstar) It has a listed runtime of 2 hrs. 25 min.

Thappad (streaming partner: Amazon Prime) gets a second week at the River East 21, MovieMax, South Barrington 24, and Cantera.

Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan (streaming partner: Amazon Prime) carries over for a third week at the River East 21, MovieMax, Cantera, Woodridge 18, and South Barrington 24, which also holds over Bhoot: Part 1 – The Haunted Ship (streaming partner: Amazon Prime).

Other Indian movies showing in the Chicago area this weekend (all films have English subtitles):

Opening February 21: Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan and Bhoot – Part 1

Two new Hindi films open in the Chicago area on February 21, 2020. The romantic comedy Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan — a spin-off of 2017’s Shubh Mangal Saavdhan — features Ayushmann Khurrana and Jitendra Kumar as a gay couple struggling with their families’ objections.

Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan opens Friday at the AMC River East 21 in Chicago, MovieMax Cinemas in Niles, AMC South Barrington 24 in South Barrington, Marcus Addison in Addison, Regal Cantera in Warrenville, and AMC Woodridge 18 in Woodridge. (Streaming Partner: Amazon Prime) It has a listed runtime of 2 hrs.

Also new this weekend is the horror movie Bhoot: Part 1 – The Haunted Ship, starring Vicky Kaushal.

Bhoot: Part 1 opens Friday at MovieMax and the South Barrington 24. (Streaming Partner: Amazon Prime) It has a listed runtime of 2 hrs. 5 min.

Love Aaj Kal carries over for a second week at the River East 21, MovieMax, South Barrington 24, Cantera, and AMC Niles 12 in Niles.

Malang gets a third week at MovieMax and South Barrington 24, which also holds over Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior.

MovieMax also carries over Jawaani Jaaneman and Panga.

Other Indian movies showing in the Chicago area this weekend (all films have English subtitles):

Opening February 7: Malang

The new Hindi thriller Malang opens in Chicago area theaters February 7, 2020. It stars Aditya Roy Kapur, Disha Patani, and Anil Kapoor.

Malang opens Friday at the AMC River East 21 in Chicago, MovieMax Cinemas in Niles, AMC Dine-In Rosemont 12 in Rosemont, AMC South Barrington 24 in South Barrington, Regal Cantera in Warrenville, and AMC Naperville 16 in Naperville. It has a listed runtime of 2 hrs. 40 min. Its streaming partner is Netflix.

Jawaani Jaaneman carries over for a second week at the River East 21, MovieMax, South Barrington 24, and Cantera. (Streaming partner: Amazon Prime)

Street Dancer 3 (Streaming partner: Amazon Prime) and Panga (Streaming partner: Hotstar) get a third week at MovieMax, South Barrington 24, and Cantera.

Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior holds on for a fifth week at MovieMax, South Barrington 24, and AMC Woodridge 18 in Woodridge. (Streaming partner: Hotstar)

Other Indian movies showing in the Chicago area this weekend (all films have English subtitles):

Opening January 31: Jawaani Jaaneman and Gul Makai

Two new Hindi films open in Chicago area theaters on January 31, 2020. The comedy-drama Jawaani Jaaneman stars Saif Ali Khan as an overgrown man-child who learns he has an adult daughter.

Jawaani Jaaneman opens Friday at the AMC River East 21 in Chicago, MovieMax Cinemas in Niles, AMC South Barrington 24 in South Barrington, and Regal Cantera in Warrenville. It has a listed runtime of 1 hr. 59 min. Its streaming partner is Amazon Prime.

Also new this weekend is Gul Makai, a biopic about activist Malala Yousafzai. TV actress Reem Shaikh plays the lead role opposite film stars Divya Dutta, Atul Kulkarni, and the late Om Puri.

Gul Makai opens Friday at MovieMax and the South Barrington 24. It has a listed runtime of 2 hrs. 12 min.

Street Dancer 3 carries over for a second week at the River East 21, MovieMax, South Barrington 24, Cantera, AMC Niles 12 in Niles, and AMC Dine-In Rosemont 12 in Rosemont. (Streaming partner: Amazon Prime)

The sweet family film Panga also holds on for a second week at MovieMax, South Barrington, Cantera, and AMC Naperville 16 in Naperville. (Streaming partner: Hotstar)

Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior gets a fourth week at MovieMax, Niles 12, South Barrington 24, Naperville, and and AMC Woodridge 18 in Woodridge. (Streaming partner: Hotstar)

Other Indian movies showing in the Chicago area this weekend (all films have English subtitles):

Opening January 24: Panga and Street Dancer 3

Two new Hindi films open in Chicago area theaters the weekend beginning January 24, 2020. Bareilly Ki Barfi director Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari returns with the kabbadi drama Panga, starring Kangana Ranaut, Jassi Gill, and Richa Chadda.

Panga opens Friday at MovieMax Cinemas in Niles, AMC South Barrington 24 in South Barrington, Regal Cantera in Warrenville, and AMC Naperville 16 in Naperville. It has a listed runtime of 2 hrs. 11 min. Its streaming partner is Hotstar.

Also new this weekend is Street Dancer 3 (as it’s being called here; in India it’s Street Dancer 3D). It was originally planned as a sequel to ABCD 2 before changing production houses. Thus, Varun Dhawan and Shraddha Kapoor return for Street Dancer 3, but as different characters.

Street Dancer 3 opens Friday at MovieMax, South Barrington 24, Cantera, AMC River East 21 in Chicago, AMC Niles 12 in Niles, AMC Dine-In Rosemont 12 in Rosemont, and AMC Woodridge 18 in Woodridge. It has a listed runtime of 2 hrs. 25 min. Its streaming partner is Amazon Prime.

Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior carries over for a third week at MovieMax, Niles 12, South Barrington 24, Cantera, Naperville 16, and Woodridge 18.

Chhapaak also gets a third week at MovieMax, while the South Barrington 24 holds over Good Newwz for a fifth week.

Other Indian movies showing in the Chicago area this weekend (all films have English subtitles):

Opening January 10: Chhappak and Tanhaji

It’s a busy weekend for Indian films in the Chicago area, including two new Hindi releases opening January 10, 2020. First is Raazi director Meghna Gulzar’s acid attack survivor drama Chhappak, starring Deepika Padukone and Vikrant Massey.

Chhappak opens Friday at the AMC River East 21 in Chicago, MovieMax Cinemas in Niles, AMC South Barrington 24 in South Barrington, Century Stratford Square in Bloomingdale, Regal Cantera in Warrenville, and AMC Naperville 16 in Naperville. It has a listed runtime of 2 hrs. 2 min. Its streaming partner is Hotstar.

The weekend’s other new release is the period action film Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior, starring Ajay Devgn, Kajol, and Saif Ali Khan.

Tanhaji opens Friday at the River East 21, MovieMax, South Barrington 24, Cantera, Naperville 16, AMC Niles 12 in Niles, and AMC Woodridge 18 in Woodridge. It has a listed runtime of 2 hrs. 15 min. Its streaming partner is also Hotstar.

Good Newwz carries over for a third week at the River East 21, MovieMax, South Barrington 24, and Woodridge 18.

Other Indian movies showing in the Chicago area this weekend (all films have English subtitles):

Opening December 20: Dabangg 3

Chulbul Pandey faces his toughest challenge yet — taking on a Star Wars film at the box office. Dabangg 3 opens on December 20, 2019, in 294 theaters across North America, with 8 of those in the Chicago area.

Dabangg 3 opens Friday at the AMC River East 21 in Chicago, AMC Niles 12 in Niles, MovieMax Cinemas in Niles, Regal Round Lake Beach in Round Lake Beach, AMC South Barrington 24 in South Barrington, Regal Cantera in Warrenville, AMC Naperville 16 in Naperville, and AMC Woodridge 18 in Woodridge. Its streaming partner is Amazon Prime, and it has a listed runtime of 2 hrs. 20 min.

Mardaani 2 gets a second week at MovieMax, South Barrington 24, and Cantera.

Pati Patni Aur Woh carries over at MovieMax and the South Barrington 24, which also holds onto Panipat.

Other Indian movies showing in the Chicago area this weekend (all films have English subtitles):